Compare the2021 Kia SorentoVS 2021 Dodge Durango

Both the Sorento and Durango have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento S/EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Durango’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Sorento are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Durango doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Rear that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Durango doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The Durango doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.

The Sorento’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line has a standard Surround View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Durango only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Sorento’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Durango doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Sorento and the Durango have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Durango’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Durango. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Durango ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Sorento have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Durango.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sorento’s reliability 18 points higher than the Durango.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Sorento first among midsize suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The Durango was rated second in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia third in reliability, above the industry average. With 28 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 17th.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Sorento 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Durango Dual Exhaust 3.6 DOHC V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Sorento gets better fuel mileage than the Durango:

Regardless of its engine, the Sorento’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Dodge only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Durango V6.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sorento uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Durango with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Durango doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Sorento stops much shorter than the Durango:

The Sorento has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Sorento flat and controlled during cornering. The Durango’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Sorento is .8 inches wider in the front and 1 inch wider in the rear than the track on the Durango.

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Durango’s (37.8 feet vs. 41 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Durango (8.2 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1000 to 1250 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

The Sorento is 1 foot shorter than the Durango, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Sorento has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 3.1 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear shoulder room, .1 inches more third row hip room and 2.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Durango.

The Sorento has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Durango doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Sorento’s optional second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Durango doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Sorento’s liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Durango doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Sorento Prestige/X-Line’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Durango’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Kia Sorento EX/SX/Prestige/X-Line has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Durango doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sorento, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Durango isn't recommended.